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Food & Dining
Marlborough's "gourmet paradise" offers a lifestyle second to none and sets the scene for visitors to explore the region's produce from award-winning wines and fresh produce
to a vast array of epicurean delights. Marlborough's temperate climate is beneficial for the flourishing of nature's bounty and has earned the region the reputation as a
leader in food and wine production.No matter what time of year you visit, produce from the Marlborough Sounds, the Wairau Plain, the Awatere Valley and Kaikoura is always in season. Springtime brings asparagus and strawberries; Summer abounds with cherries, berries and stone fruit; Autumn brings apples, olives and the wine harvest, while Winter is the time for hearty vegetables. And all year round, the region's seafood - crayfish, blue cod, snapper, salmon, greenshell mussels and scallops - can be enjoyed with Marlborough's superb wines
Taking advantage of the region's abundance of local produce is an extensive range of restaurants and eateries. From Thai, Chinese and Japanese cuisine through Mediterranean styles to Turkish and Indian fare, Marlborough offers a wide choice for the discerning diner, including New Zealand contemporary and New Zealand fusion; pizzerias and seafood restaurants; New Zealand traditional and family restaurants; cafés, coffee bars and delicatessens.
From the Marlborough Sound's clear waterways and the Pacific Coast's plunging depths comes a bounty of fresh seafood and from the land wild game, lamb and beef, fresh garlic and seasonal stone fruit. Spoiled for choice, restaurants have a rich choice of local fare to include in their menus, complemented by any number of the fine wines that are produced from the vineyards that abound in the region's valleys.